Reduction in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is a common complication in advanced stages of heart failure (HF). The convenient and precise assessment for GFR would be useful for early detection of renal impairment in HF dogs. Our hypothesis of this study was the GFR would be reduced in advanced stages of HF from chronic mitral valvular insufficiency (CMVI), as indicated by renal markers including serum cystatin-C (Cys-C) and symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) concentrations. Forty-three client-owned dogs consisting of 33 dogs with different stages of HF from CMVI and 10 age-matched healthy dogs were enrolled in this study. Serum Cys-C and SDMA concentrations along with other renal (i.e., urea nitrogen and creatinine) and echocardiographic markers were evaluated in healthy and CMVI dogs. Serum Cys-C concentrations were 1.4 ± 0.4 mg/l in control, 2.1 ± 0.9 mg/l in ISACHC I, 2.9 ± 0.8 mg/l in ISACHC II and 3.6 ± 0.6 mg/l in ISACHC III dogs, whereas serum SDMA concentrations were 8 ± 2 µg/dl in control, 14 ± 3 µg/dl in ISACHC I, 18 ± 6 µg/dl in ISACHC II and 22 ± 7 µg/dl in ISACHC III dogs. There was close correlation of serum Cys-C and SDMA concentrations to serum creatinine, urea nitrogen and the severity of HF. Our study demonstrated that the GFR was decreased in dogs with CMVI having earlier stages of HF.

Case summaryThis report describes a rare case of crossed fused renal ectopia (CFRE) in a cat. A mature intact male Persian cat presented with bloody nasal discharge and ascites. Diagnostic studies revealed an ectopic left kidney fused with an orthotopic right kidney and a concurrent feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) infection. The FIP was responsible for clinical signs in this cat, while clinical signs associated with CFRE were not obvious. Despite receiving intensive treatment, the cat died. A post-mortem examination was not performed because the owners declined approval.Relevance and novel informationTo the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of L-shaped CFRE in a cat. In addition, this report describes the CT features of L-shaped CFRE in a cat.

Background The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) overexpression and clinicopathologic factors and overall survival rate in patients who underwent curative gastrectomy for gastric adenocarcinoma. Methods Among patients who underwent curative gastrectomy for gastric adenocarcinoma at Inje University Paik Hospital from January 2012 to December 2015, 782 patients underwent an immunohistochemical analysis to evaluate HER2 expression levels. Clinicopathologic records that were collected from a gastric cancer database were retrospectively reviewed to identify clinicopathologic factors and survival rates of the patients. Results HER2 overexpression was detected in 166 patients (21.2%). There was a statistically significant correlation between HER2 expression level and sex ( p = 0.013), histologic differentiation ( p < 0.001), Lauren classification ( p < 0.001), and T pathologic stage ( p = 0.022). There were no statistically significant relationships between HER2 expression level and overall 5-year survival rate ( p = 0.775) and overall 5-year survival rate of gastric adenocarcinoma classified according to the TNM stage (stage I: p = 0.756, stage II: p = 0.571, stage III: p = 0.704). The HER2 expression level was not affected by the overall 5-year survival rate in the uni- and multivariate analyses. Conclusions In this study, the HER2 overexpression rate in gastric adenocarcinoma was 21.2% and was observed in well- and moderately differentiated types according to histologic differentiation, intestinal type according to the Lauren classification, male, and low T stage. There was no correlation between HER2 expression level and overall 5-year survival rate, and HER2 expression level was not associated with independent prognostic factors.

: A 1-year-old Korean domestic short-haired cat presented with skin hyperextensibility and a severely macerated wound on the skin of the dorsal part of the neck. Diagnostic studies including histopathology and skin extensibility index revealed congenital cutaneous asthenia (Ehlers-Danlos syndrome). In this cat, the skin wounds and defects were successfully managed with standard wound management and cosmetic surgery. Although skin hyperextensibility is persistent, the cat has lived well without other complications to date. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of cutaneous asthenia in a cat in Korea.Keywords : cat, cutaneous asthenia, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, joint laxity, skin hyperextensibility Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) is a type of inherited cutaneous asthenia, which is caused by collagen production [4]. Although EDS in cats has rarely been reported, inherited EDS has been described in the Himalayan breed, which is similar EDS VIIc in man and dermatosporaxis in calves and sheep [1,10]. Although the EDS is not fatal in cats, it often causes hanging folds of skin, extensive scarring, joint laxity, delayed wound healing with hematoma and hygroma formation [11]. Although the diagnosis is challenging, clinical signs and histopathologic studies of the collagen structure are important to identify this disease. This case study described a rare case of EDS in a Korean domestic short-haired cat.A 1-year-old castrated male Korean domestic short-haired cat weighing 4.2 kg, was presented with severe macerated wound on the skin of dorsal part of neck ( Fig. 1A and B). The cat had medical history of skin maceration by selfscratching and frequent grooming on the abdomen and hind limb. On the physical examination, the skin lesion was consisted of 8.5 × 5.5 cm skin defects by ulcerative wound on the dorsal part of neck ( Fig. 1A and B). The margin of defected skin was necrotized and ulcerative. Skin elasticity was markedly increased (hyperextensibility) on the lesion (Fig. 1). Skin in other body part was also thin and was hyperextensible and fragile ( Fig. 2C and D). Complete blood cell count revealed no particular abnormalities except moderate polycythemia (red blood cell 10.45 M/µL; reference range, 5.5-8.5 M/uL; hematocrit 57.3%; reference range, 37-55%). Serum biochemistry found no particular abnormalities except increased glucose (151 mg/dL; reference range, 60-120 mg/ dL) and decreased albumin (2.7 g/dL; reference range, 3.1-4.1 g/dL).Emergency surgery for covering skin defects of the neck was performed ( Fig. 2A and B). After removal of necrotized wound margin, the skin defected area was covered by extending skin nearby with anchored suture ( Fig. 2A and B). After installing wound drainage, bacterial culture with antibi-*Corresponding author Tel: +82-33-250-8681, Fax: +82-33-244-2367 E-mail: hyun5188@kangwon.ac.kr Fig. 1. Skin lesion of this case. (A and B) The skin lesion was consisted of 8.5 × 5.5 cm skin defects by ulcerative wound on the dorsal part of neck. The margin of defected skin was...

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